Lazio 2-2 Parma: Three Things We Learned – Claudio Lotito’s Advice Rings True | OneFootball

On Monday, Lazio had a golden opportunity to catch up with Juventus in fourth place, but they had to rally from behind to salvage a single point against Parma.

Jacob Ondrejka chose the Stadio Olimpico as the theatre of his first Serie A brace. The young Swede stunned the Biancocelesti crowds by scoring at the start of each half, thus giving the Emilians a healthy two-goal lead. Nevertheless, Pedro came off the bench to respond with a brace of his own, ending the contest in a 2-2 draw.

So here are three takeaways from Monday’s eventful contest.

Claudio Lotito Had a Point

Not so long ago, Claudio Lotito reiterated his faith in Baroni’s work, but at the same time, urged the manager to rotate his squad more often.

While the fans might disagree with the controversial president more often than not, perhaps he had a good point on this particular occasion, especially after watching a sluggish Lazio side failing to cope with a young and hungry Parma for the majority of the contest. Moreover, this wasn’t a one-off display from the Aquile, but a trend that developed in recent weeks.

After beating Genoa on Wednesday, Baroni opted to keep the same starting XI, with the exception of Gustav Isaksen who returned from a one-match ban to replace the injured Manuel Lazzari. Matteo Guendouzi and Nicolo Rovella, in particular, looked exhausted, while Mattia Zaccagni failed to inspire.

In his defence, Baroni would argue that the gulf in quality between his starters and their understudies is forcing him to maintain the same choices, especially with some new signings falling short of the mark. Hence, the management is invited to add some quality depth.

Pedro Gives Marco Baroni Major Dilemma

On a night when defeat would have been a fair outcome for the out-of-sorts Aquile, it required exceptional individual brilliance to drag the team back to the contest, and Pedro happens to be the only player who boasts the sort of flair and character to succeed in such a daunting mission.

According to Opta Paolo, Pedro has become the first Lazio player to score seven goals off the bench in the three-points-per-match era which started in 1994/95. Thus, Baroni must be wondering if he should start the veteran in the four remaining contests, or resist this urge by confirming him as the club’s resident super-sub.

At the age of 37, the attacker’s playing time must be wisely and delicately managed, even when the team is playing once a week. Hence, Pedro should only start matches occasionally despite being the team’s most in-form player.

Luca Pellegrini Must Stay at Lazio

If the mid-season omission was the wake-up call Luca Pellegrini needed, Baroni’s manoeuvre certainly paid off, as the Italian is rising to the plate at the time when Lazio need him the most.

As we said in the aftermath of the victory over Genoa, the home stretch will be a vital period for the left-back who must prove his worth for the cause. Pellegrini responded with another convincing display, creating both goals with his sublime crosses.

Although he still has many aspects in his game that require improvement, the 26-year-old has arguably showed enough to warrant a place in a department that hosts an injury-prone Nuno Tavares (who could be sold for the right offer) and three players who are on the wrong side of 30 (Marusic, Lazzari and Hysaj).